Storage container docking system

ABSTRACT

A storage docking system especially adapted for recreational vehicles has containers fixed to rails by couplers and can have one set of rails fixed to the vehicle and another set of rails fixed to a stationary storage space.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application No.60/684,645 filed May 26, 2005.

STATEMENT CONCERNING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT

Not applicable.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates to storage systems that are particularly adaptedfor recreational vehicles.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Recreational vehicles have become very popular for individuals to own.Oftentimes the individuals who own such vehicles store them away fromtheir residence and may bring them to their residence a few days priorto a planned trip to prepare the vehicle for the trip. For example, if afamily outing is planned to the beach, the vehicle will have to beloaded with items that are appropriate for that outing, such as beachtoys, towels, swimsuits, folding chairs, umbrellas and the like. If, onthe other hand, the vehicle is to be used for a hunting trip, it willhave to be loaded with a completely different set of equipment. When theouting is over, the vehicle is typically unloaded and the paraphernaliacleaned and stored at the owner's residence or otherwise prepared forthe next use. The vehicle will also typically be cleaned out inpreparation for its storage and next use.

Recreational vehicles are typically provided with interior cabinetstorage, storage under the seats and any other place where it can be fitin, and also has “basement” storage which is accessible through doors onthe outside of the vehicle. The present invention is mainly, althoughnot exclusively, addressed to the type of storage which would beaccessible from outside of the vehicle, through the outside doors in theside of the vehicle.

It is known to provide this basement storage with sliding drawers ortrays which make it easier to access the contents of the space in thebasement. However, room still exists for a system that makes loading andunloading an RV easier, and also facilitates storage in the vehicle andstorage at the residence of the owner.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The invention provides a storage docking system that is particularlyadapted for RV use. The system includes at least one container andcouplers fixed to the container. Each coupler has an opening that issized to receive a first set of rails fixed to a mounting surface of thevehicle in a storage space of the vehicle so as to support the containerby the first set of rails in the storage space of the vehicle.

In a preferred form, the couplers are lockable to the rails to keep thecontainers fixed to the rails, for example in transit. The couplers eachdefine a channel, each coupler having a locking member that can be movedfrom a released position in which the opening to the channel of thecoupler is open or to a locked position in which the opening to thechannel is blocked. The rails are spaced above a mounting surface of thevehicle to which the rails are mounted and are sized to be receivedwithin the channels. In the released position of the locking member, therails can be received within the channels and in the locked position ofthe locking member, the locking member extends into the space betweenthe rail to which it is engaged and the mounting surface to secure thecontainer to the vehicle.

In an especially useful form, the system includes a second set of railsfixed in a storage space in a building, and the openings of the couplersare sized to receive either the first or the second set of rails so asto support the container by either the first or the second set of rails,so that the container can be stored in either the vehicle or thebuilding.

In another preferred form, the containers are wire baskets, which arepreferred in this application since they are relatively lightweight,strong, do not accumulate debris and moisture, provide good aeration andcan be used to stow many different articles.

Other advantages of the invention will be apparent from the detaileddescription and drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the side of an RV with its storagecompartment doors open and showing applications of a storage dockingsystem of the invention;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the storage docking system shown in FIG.1 that is assembled to the slide-out tray;

FIG. 3 is a close-up view of parts of the system of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of one of the couplers used in FIGS. 1-3;

FIG. 5 is a view of the coupler in the locked position;

FIG. 6 is a bottom perspective view of the coupler in the open position;

FIG. 7 is a top perspective view of the coupler from the inner side;

FIG. 8 is a bottom perspective view of one piece (the retainer member)of the coupler;

FIG. 9 is a top perspective view of another piece (the channel member)of the coupler;

FIG. 10 is a perspective view of another piece (the locking member) ofthe coupler;

FIG. 11 is a perspective view of the locking member and the channelmember together;

FIG. 12 is a view like FIG. 11 but from the top;

FIG. 13 is a perspective view of the retainer member and the channelmember together;

FIG. 14 is a perspective view into one of the storage compartments ofthe RV illustrating a container hung on a side wall of the storagecompartment;

FIG. 15 is a view like FIG. 6, from a different angle and with thesliding tray removed;

FIG. 16 is a perspective view of the container hanging from its sidewithout showing the RV;

FIG. 17 is a perspective view of another application of the storagesystem of the invention in the RV, also shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 18 is a view with one of the baskets of the system of FIG. 9removed;

FIG. 19 is a view of a storage docking system of the invention providedin a stationary storage space in a building, for example in a garage ofthe owner of the RV;

FIG. 20 is a close-up view of a portion of the system of FIG. 11,illustrating a bracket for hanging the rails of the storage system froma wall of the building;

FIG. 21 is another perspective view of the stationary storage dockingsystem of FIGS. 19 and 20; and

FIGS. 22-25 are perspective (FIGS. 22-24) and top plan (FIG. 25) viewsof an alternate mount for the storage system.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

FIG. 1 illustrates a recreational vehicle (RV) 10 with its sidecompartment doors 12 open illustrating storage compartments 14, 15 and16. Compartment 14 includes a slide-out tray 18 as is conventional, butwhat is unconventional is the inclusion of a storage docking system 20mounted to the slide-out tray 18. A storage docking system 22 of thesystem is also mounted in compartment 16, with compartment 15 beingempty.

Referring also to FIGS. 2-5, the system 20 includes containers 26 and 30of different sizes with the containers 26 being generally square orrectangular and taller than the containers 30, about twice the height ofthe containers 30 for the containers 26 illustrated in FIGS. 2-5. Thecontainers 30 are stackable so that the top one nests inside the bottomone, and also of a height such that even when stacked they will fit inthe compartment 14. The containers 26 and 30 are preferably welded wirebaskets and have handles 32. Each of the containers 26 and 30 isprovided with four couplers 36, one at each corner on the bottom of eachof the containers 26 and 30, that can be easily coupled to a rail 38that is a cylindrical hollow tube. Each rail 38 is fixed to the bottomwall of the tray 18 that is the mounting surface 39 in this applicationby mounts 40 which receive the ends of the rails 38 and are shaped likepillow block bearings, defining a hole between two mounting flanges thatare fastened, for example with bolts or screws, to the floor 91 ofcompartment 16, to the bottom 39 of tray 18, or to another mountingsurface. The mounts 40 could be closed on one side as illustrated inFIGS. 1-3, or, alternatively could be open at both sides as illustratedby the mount 40′ in FIGS. 22-25 so a rail could be inserted from eitherside. If open at both sides, fastener holes 41 are provided asillustrated in FIGS. 22-25 so that a screw, rivet or other fastener canbe used through the hole to fix the rail to the mount.

The mounts 40 space the rails above the mounting surface 39 or 91 sothat the locking member of the couplers described below can extend intothe space between the rails 38 and the mounting surface 39 or 91 tosecure the container to the rails. Also, the rails 38, which may besteel, aluminum or another rigid material, are supported by supports 44that are provided every few feet or so, so that the rails 38 do not sagor flex excessively under the weight of the loaded containers 26 and 30.Fasteners extend through holes 43 in the flanges of the mounts 40 andsupports 44 to secure them to the surface of the vehicle to which theyare secured, the lower wall 39 of the tray 18 in the case of compartment14 or to the floor 91 of the compartment as in the case of compartment16. The mounts 40 and supports 44 may be made of molded plastic.

Referring to FIGS. 4-13, each coupler 36 is riveted or otherwisefastened by fasteners 48 to a stamped or otherwise formed bracket 50that resides on the interior side of the container 26 or 30 so that thewalls of the container 26 or 30 are pinched between the flange 52 of thecoupler 36 and the bracket 50 to securely hold the coupler 36 to thecontainer 26 or 30. The coupler 36 has a channel 86 therein, that mayextend for the length of the coupler 36 and is generally cylindricallyshaped at one side and opening straight out at the opposite side toreceive the rail 38. A locking member 60 having an arcuate section 62that is slidable angularly relative to fixed part 64 of the coupler 36is slidable in a track of the fixed part 64 so as to either open thebottom side of the channel 86 or to close it, the open position beingshown in FIG. 4 and the closed position being shown in FIG. 5. When openas in FIG. 4, when the container 26 or 30 is placed down on top of therails 38, the rails 38 enter the channel 86 through the mouth opening orlower side of the channel 86 that faces the rails 38. Once received inthe channel 86, the locking lever 60 can be slid in its track so as toclose off the opening into the channel 86 that traps the rail 38 in thechannel 6 and therefore in the coupler 36, to hold the containers 26 and30 longitudinally on the rails 38.

In the locked position of FIG. 5, the locking lever member 60, andparticularly portion 62 thereof, may apply a clamping load on the rail38, or not. If not, the container 30 would be relatively slidable in adirection parallel to the rails 38, which is usually acceptable in an RVapplication.

Referring particularly to FIGS. 4-13, the coupler 36 is molded plasticand made of three pieces. FIGS. 6-14 illustrate the coupler without thebracket 50 or fasteners 48. As has already been stated, one of thepieces of the coupler 36 is the lever member 60. The lever member 60 hasa handle portion 66 which is operable by the user to rotate the levermember 60 in its track, and an approximately half-circular arc portion62 that closes off the bottom of the opening 56 when the lever member 60is rotated into that position. The arc portion 62 has an outstanding rib68 that fits into groove 70 of U-shaped portion 72 of retainer member74. Retainer 74 also includes the flange 52 in which the holes 76 areformed for the fasteners 48. Member 74 also has a flange 78 at a rightangle to the flange 52 having holes 80 formed in it into whichadditional fasteners 48 can be inserted for fastening the bracket 50,which is also a right-angle type bracket.

Two holes 82 are formed in retainer member 74 for fastening to theretainer member by an adhesive, ultrasonic welding or other suitableprocess the channel member 84 having pins 88 received in the holes 82and an open bottomed channel 86 that defines the major portion of thechannel opening 86. The bottom part of member 74 that touches member 84may also be adhered, welded or otherwise attached to the member 84, forexample at the lower edges of the flange 52 and in the surfaces of thearc portion 72 where they interface with the surfaces of the member 84,such that the members 74 and 84 form a structurally rigid unit such asis shown in FIG. 13, without the lever 60 installed. Also, member 84 hasa lip 90 that interferes with the arcuate portion 62 of the lever member60 to inhibit rotating the lever member 60 out of the track formed bythe two members 74 and 84. When the lever member 60 is rotated to theclosed position, it is stopped flat against flange 92 of member 74,which has a hole 94 in it that registers with hole 96 in lever member 60so that a lock can be placed through the two holes 94 and 96 to lock thelever member 60 in the locked position.

Arcuate portion 62 of lever member 60 has track portion 63 that iscaptured in the track formed by the members 74 and 84 (FIG. 13) and haslocking portion 65 that has an inside surface of approximately the sameradius as the curved portion of channel 86 so that together with thecurved portion of channel 86 the inside surface of portion 65 forms acircle of approximately the same diameter or a little larger as therails 38.

FIGS. 14-16 illustrate the invention applied to a hanging containerwhich is a welded wire basket on the side of the RV compartment. In thisapplication, the flanges of the mounts 40 are in a vertical plane,mounted to mounting surface 87, and the couplers 36 are mounted in thecorners of the container 33 so that the channels 86 open outhorizontally. When the locking member 60 is rotated from the open to theclosed position, the arcuate portion 65 of the locking member 60 ismoved to the position behind the rail 38 so as to prevent removal of thecouplers 36 from the rail 38 until the lever members 60 are moved totheir open positions. Note that in the case of container 33, the wallthat faces in the same direction that the channels 86 open out is formedso as to take advantage of the space between the wall to which themounts 40 are attached and the far side of the rail 38. The containers20 could also be formed in the same manner to take advantage of the openspace that is between the two rails 48 that support the containers.

FIGS. 17 and 18 illustrate an application of the invention in which therails 38 are fixed to the floor or mounting surface 91 of the storagecompartment extending in the direction of normal vehicle straight linetravel. In the case of the rails fixed to the slide out tray 18, therails are perpendicular to the direction of normal vehicle straight linetravel. The couplers in the arrangement of the containers 20 can bereleased and engaged with the rails 38 because the tray 18 can be slidout. In the case of the containers 22, in which the rails 38 areparallel to the direction of travel, a person can reach the couplerseven at the inside end of the container because the couplers areaccessible from the sides of the container. Thus, a slide out tray isnot necessary if all four corners can be locked to the rails 38, or atleast a sufficient number to hold the container secure. It may notalways be necessary to lock all four corners to the rails 38 and it maybe acceptable to only lock two or one of them, for example those thatare nearest to the outside of the vehicle, or none of them if the travelis smooth.

FIGS. 19-21 illustrate the containers 20, 22 and 33 stored at theresidence or other stationary storage area of the owner of the RV, forexample the garage at the owner's place of residence. The rails 38 thatare parallel to one another should be spaced apart the same distance sothat any of the containers that have four mounting points can beassembled to any of the sets of rails. The couplers 36 also permit thecontainers to be stacked one on top of another and the containers thereto be rested on a floor surface. L brackets 96, which may be plastic,metal or another suitably strong material, are mounted to the walls andextend therefrom to mounts 40 and supports 44 so as to support the rails38. Braces 98 may be provided at the ends of the assemblies to laterallystabilize them.

It should also be noted that the rails 38 in the compartment 16 shouldbe spaced the same distance from one another as the rails 38 in theslide out tray 18 so that the containers 20 and 26 may be interchangedin position. Also, if the containers 20 and 26 are similar in width,then the spacing between the mounts 40 and the supports 44 can be madeuniformly the same to accommodate all containers.

It is noted that the configuration of the couplers permits the user toeither lock the locking levers 60 or not. In stationary storage, as inFIGS. 19-21, locking the levers may not be necessary. It may benecessary to lock or partially lock the levers of the wall-hungcontainers 33 to hold them on the rails. In the RV, locking may also beoptional. Having the option however better secures the containers to therails, and permits locking the containers to the rails with a theftdeterrent connection.

Preferred embodiments of the invention have been described inconsiderable detail. Many modifications and variations to theembodiments described will be apparent to those skilled in the art.Therefore, the invention should not be limited but to the embodimentsdescribed, but should be defined by the claims that follow.

1. A storage docking system, comprising: at least one container;couplers fixed to the container, each said coupler having an opening; afirst set of rails fixed to a mounting surface of the vehicle in astorage space of the vehicle; wherein the openings of the couplers aresized to receive the first set of rails so as to support the containerby the first set of rails in the storage space of the vehicle.
 2. Astorage docking system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the couplers arelockable to the first set of rails.
 3. A storage docking system asclaimed in claim 2, wherein the couplers each define a channel, eachsaid coupler having a locking member that can be moved from a releasedposition in which the opening to the channel of the coupler is open orto a locked position in which the opening to the channels is blocked,the first set of rails being spaced above a mounting surface of thevehicle to which the rails are mounted and being sized to be receivedwithin the channels, wherein in the released position of the lockingmember the rails can be received within the channels and in the lockedposition of the locking member, the locking member extends into thespace between the rail to which it is engaged and the mounting surfaceto secure the container to the vehicle.
 4. The storage docking systemfor a vehicle as claimed in claim 1, further comprising a second set ofrails fixed in a storage space in a building, and wherein the openingsof the couplers are sized to receive either the first or the second setof rails so as to support the container by either the first or thesecond set of rails, so that the container can be stored in either thevehicle or the building.
 5. A storage docking system as claimed in claim4, wherein the couplers are lockable to at least the first set of rails.6. The storage docking system for a vehicle as claimed in claim 1,wherein the first set of rails is mounted to the vehicle so as to extendlaterally relative to the direction of normal straight line travel ofthe vehicle.
 7. The storage docking system for a vehicle as claimed inclaim 1, wherein the first set of rails runs parallel to the directionof normal straight line travel of the vehicle.
 8. The storage dockingsystem for a vehicle as claimed in claim 1, wherein the container can beslid laterally relative to the rails when the container is coupled tothe rails by the couplers.
 9. The storage docking system for a vehicleas claimed in claim 1, wherein the couplers are connected to thecontainer so that the channels open downwardly relative to a bottom wallof the container.
 10. The storage docking system for a vehicle asclaimed in claim 9, wherein the couplers extend below the bottom wall ofthe container.
 11. The storage docking system for a vehicle as claimedin claim 1, wherein the couplers are connected to the container suchthat the channels of the couplers open outwardly away from a side of thecontainer.
 12. The storage docking system for a vehicle as claimed inclaim 11, wherein the couplers are connected to sidewalls of thecontainer.
 13. The storage docking system for a vehicle as claimed inclaim 1, wherein the container is a wire basket.